© 2007 a.c.olson -- Ouray at Night. Film is Kodak Portra 160 VC, photographed
using a Linhof Technika IV 4x5 camera with a Schneider 150mm lens. |
Night photography is sometimes called "existing-light photography", or "low-light photography", or "available-light photography", or sometimes facetiously called "unavailable-light photography." The photographer normally engages in existing-light photography to create a mood or to portray the realism of a given event or situation where applying additional artificial light would make the image appear to be staged and synthetic.
Night photography is performed when the sun is below the horizon and under conditions where there is no strong, even source of illumination, such as the sun or studio lighting. Usually the illumination emanates from multiple sources such as spotlights, bare bulbs, headlights, stage lighting, illuminated signs, moonlight, fireworks, interior lamps, and even the faint glow of twilight.
Determining the best exposure for such uneven lighting can be difficult to say the least. This web-author has written an Existing Light Photography Guide that can be selected from the home page or by selecting the link above for downloading and viewing.
Enjoy viewing the following examples of night and low-light photography.
All of the images on this page are copyrighted.
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The following prints are available for purchase. Click here for pricing and ordering information.
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© 2005-2007 a.c.olson